Chapter 12 : Shadows

Chapter 12

The moon was high. The wind was still.

The night had settled over the Ignis estate like a gentle embrace. A false peace. A cruel illusion.

Then—

The silence broke.

Not with screams. Not with war horns.

But with shadows.

A ripple. A shift. A disturbance so subtle it barely seemed real.

And then—

Nothing.

The guards on the walls froze mid-step.

Their bodies stiffened.

Then, one by one—they crumpled.

No sound. No warning. Just life, snuffed out as if it had never existed.

In the halls, a maid turned a corner, a candle in her hands. The flame flickered—

And so did she.

Her body flickered out of existence.

The shadows had claimed her.

A child, no older than eight, ran toward his mother's room. His little feet pounded against the wooden floor.

He never made it.

A dark hand reached from the walls. Pulled him in.

No scream. No struggle.

Just a breath.

And then… nothing.

The massacre had begun

The Ignis Estate did not fall in a blaze of battle.

It drowned in silence.

Not a single scream was heard.

Only shadows.

They slipped through the cracks of the world, swallowing light, air, and life itself.

The Noctis had arrived. 

And the massacre continue. 

Once feared as the Abyssal Hunters, the Noctis family were assassins without equal.

Their blades did not gleam; they did not reflect light—for they were made of pure void.

And their victims?

Did not even know they had died.

A guard patrolling the front gates blinked.

Then—

His vision split.

A thin, clean line ran across his throat.

His body remained standing, his soul struggling to understand—

Then his head slid off.

The wind did not carry the scent of blood.

For the moment his body fell, the shadows consumed it.

No sound. No trace. No mercy.

Another guard raised his spear. "INTRU—"

A black hand tore through his chest.

The spear clattered.

His body collapsed.

By the time anyone sensed something was wrong—

Half of the estate was already dead.

The Ignis Household… was being erased.

And leading this massacre—

A figure wrapped in the abyss itself.

His mere presence devoured the light around him.

His aura stretched into the night, twisting the stars in the sky.

He was Velran Noctis, Duke of the Abyss.

And tonight, he would personally bury the Ignis bloodline.

Velran stepped onto the Ignis courtyard, his black cloak fluttering.

The remaining knights of Ignis gathered before him, torches in hand, faces filled with defiance.

Veldran didn't waste time. 

He raised a single gloved hand.

And clenched his fist.

The night around them… collapsed.

[Saint Domain: Abyssal Night – The Womb of Shadows]

The world changed.

The air cooled. The torches flickered… then vanished.

No—the light had not been extinguished.

It had been devoured.

Velran's Domain had descended.

And the laws of reality… shifted.

Light cannot exist.

Flames cannot burn.

Sound cannot travel.

Only Shadows exist. 

And most terrifying of all—

All shadows were his to command.

A knight screamed—

The darkness beneath his feet coiled up like a snake.

It dragged him down.

His body sank into the abyss, his hands clawing for air.

Then—

He was gone.

Another knight swung his sword—his shadow leaped up and wrapped around his throat.

He suffocated on his own darkness.

Velran Noctis walked forward, eyes cold.

"This is not war," he murmured.

"This is execution."

He raised his hand—a tidal wave of shadows rose with it.

But then—

A spark.

A single ember.

A faint glow in the abyss.

The darkness trembled.

Velran frowned.

Then—

The world caught fire.

The Ignis Estate, which had been swallowed in eternal night—

Exploded into purple fire.

The Abyss itself screamed.

Velran Noctis took a step back.

His domain still active. 

Then a voice echoed through the flames—

Deep. Calm. Absolute.

"What do you think you are doing Veldran?"

The purple inferno parted.

And from within—

A man stepped forward.

His hair was a deep crimson, but his eyes burned like galaxies—a radiant purple, sparking with lightning.

He was Noah Ignis.

The Infernal Tyrant. The Duke Of Ashes.

And around him, the air cracked, twisted, and burned against time itself.

Because he too… was a Saint.

And his Domain was no mere flame.

It was divine destruction.

And He also, didn't waste time. 

[Saint Domain: Temporal Hellfire – The Unforgiven Pyre]

The rules of reality… shifted once more.

And Velran Noctis felt it.

All things that entered this fire…

Would not just burn.

They would be erased.

It was not fire that consumed flesh.

It was fire that consumed existence itself.

Velran narrowed his eyes.

When two domain comes together. The most powerful will dominate and erase the other. 

But in the case they have equal power..

Like in this case. 

They come to be together.

And it's like too different world colliding.

"Hah… So even after all these years, you still burn like a mad dog."

Veldran sneered. Not a little bit afraid. 

Noah's lips curled.

"And you still crawl like a snake hiding in the dark."

And just as he was about to respond 

In this night. In this darkness. A sun rose.

The flames of Noah's Domain parted—and golden fire flooded the night.

Velran Noctis gritted his teeth.

Fuck…this fucking girl 

A woman stepped forward, her long red hair shimmering in the golden fire.

Her eyes were pure gold.

And unlike Noah's raging inferno—

Her flames did not burn.

They purified.

She was Ester Ignis.

The Blazing Saintess.

And her Domain…

Was a fire that erased all impurity.

The nemesis of shadows. 

And so…

Ester voice spread out. Calm and deadly. Without emotions. 

[Saint Domain: Divine Immolation – The Eternal Purge]

The moment her flames touched Velran's Domain—

The Abyss shrank.

No—it recoiled.

Because Ester's fire burned concepts.

And her golden fire declared:

'Darkness shall not exist.'

Velran clicked his tongue.

He already can't win again Noah. He can only stall for time and let the other shadows do the dead. 

But now with Ester…his death is all but confirmed. 

"You two really are monsters."

Noah cracked his knuckles.

"And you?"

His purple eyes blazed.

"You are nothing but a dead man walking."

And then—

Just as he was about to take a step toward Veldran whose domain was destroyed. 

The sky split.

A golden star fell from above.

Noah and Ester's eyes snapped up—

And a blade descended.

It was not thrown.

It simply… arrived.

Ss if space bended itself and let out thud blade. A sword. A pure white sword with golden markings. 

And the moment it touched the ground—

Everything was cut.

The flames froze. And was cut. 

The shadows halted.

Space, cut. 

And even time itself… shuddered.

Noah and Ester felt it immediately.

A Saint had entered the battlefield.

A golden-haired man stepped forward, sword resting on his shoulder, golden eyes gleaming with quiet amusement.

Zephyr Sylvaris.

The Empire's Sword Saint.

His presence was incredible. 

If Noah presence seemed like the world itself might burn with a thoughts. 

Sylvaris presence is incredible sharp. So sharp that by only his presence space seemed to be cut. 

His sword intent was monstrous, heav, sharp. 

But..

His voice was light. Almost casual.

"You two are making quite the mess."

Noah growled.

" So that's you they sent hun. I guess they couldn't afford to wait anymore."

Ester's golden flames flickered. Her eyes deep with anger and hatred. 

Velran smirked.

Zephyr tilted his head.

"No more talking Noah."

"Well then."

His sword hummed.

"Shall we begin?"

And then—

The real battle was about to get started.

But…

…..

In the depths of the estate, a boy stirred.

Lucas Ignis.

His body jerked awake.

His heart pounded.

And before his eyes—

[Ding! You have received a quest.]

[Quest: Escape the Empire of Sylvaris]

Difficulty: S+

Description: The Sylvaris Empire has betrayed your family. They plan to eradicate your bloodline. Escape the empire.

Rewards:

• Unlock a Flame of the Pantheon of Fire

• Unlock one sub-skill from the Eyes of Primordial Fire

• Shadow Affinity

Penalty: Death.

Lucas's breathing was heavy.

Then—

A shadow moved.

A figure stepped toward him. Cloaked in death.

A blade gleamed—

Lucas didn't hesitate. 

He can't afford that. 

And so…

Lucas removed his blindfold.

His eyes opened and greeted the world. 

But at that moment his eyes weren't the usual red. 

They were…white.

And in that instant—

The entire estate caught fire.

A fire of anger.

A fire of hatred. 

A fire of despair.

A fire of sadness. 

His emotions were so much that…He has forcefully unlocked a hidden skill of the eyes of the primordial fire. 

This world was bathed with a new fire never seen before. 

The White Fire of Soul.

And at that moment. 

The Shadows screamed.

…

Miles away—

A silver-haired girl turned her head.

Iris Mindweaver's silver eyes widened.

"…Lucas?"

She felt it.

The fate of the world had shifted.

And then, she make a haste. 

End of chapter 12.